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Obake
Dec 20, 2006 4:41:16 GMT -5
Post by Lady Anastasia on Dec 20, 2006 4:41:16 GMT -5
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Obake
Dec 20, 2006 4:42:15 GMT -5
Post by Lady Anastasia on Dec 20, 2006 4:42:15 GMT -5
Obake (¤ª»¯¤±, Obake?), also called "bakemono", are the traditional ghosts, goblins and monsters from Japanese folklore; the term is virtually the same as "y¨kai", and includes traditional goblins and monsters, and "y¨±rei", spirits of the human dead. The term obake derives from the Japanese verb bakeru, meaning "to change"; thus obake are preternatural beings who have undergone some sort of change, from the natural realm to the supernatural.
Obake can range from animals (kitsune, tanuki, mujina) that are thought to have shapeshifting powers, to mythological creatures, to inanimate objects that have come to life (called "tsukumogami"). Popular examples of obake are the kappa, a water-dwelling imp who drowns humans and animals if he can get his hands on them; the tengu, a long-nosed mountain goblin skilled at martial arts and having the wings and sometimes beak of a bird; kasa-obake, an umbrella that has come to life; and kitsune, foxes, the masters of shapeshifting.
Obake also constitutes y¨±rei, the spirits of dead humans who have died in a great fit of rage or sorrow. Their spirit lingers on in the physical world, until their last desire has been fulfilled. This can range from obtaining revenge upon those that killed them, to ensuring that their children are properly cared for, as seen in the many tales of ubume.
Stories and legends of these Japanese apparitions have also been imported to other languages and cultures, such as the Hawaiian Pidgin of native Hawaiians. In Hawaii, some of the original lore concerning obake has been altered or misunderstood; the most common example is the mujina, originally a tanuki-like shapeshifter, which has been confused in Hawaii for the noppera-b¨, a faceless human apparition. The source of this confusion was a story by Lafcadio Hearn called "Mujina". Hearn neglected to explain the reasoning behind his title: in Japan, mujina are often known to shapeshift into the faceless noppera-b¨.
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